Plastic encapsulated energetic material initiation device

Abstract

An initiator with a housing formed of plastic and a chip assembly for initiating at least one of a combustion event, a deflagration event and a detonation event. The chip assembly includes an electrically-actuated chip and a pair of electric leads that extend through the housing and are configured to couple the electrically-actuated chip to a fireset circuit. The electrically-actuated chip is partially encapsulated in the housing. A method for forming an initiator is also provided.

Description

[0001]This application is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12 / 468,957, filed May 20, 2009, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 829,970 filed Apr. 22, 2004, issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,690,303 on Apr. 6, 2010, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth in detail herein.INTRODUCTION[0002]The present invention generally relates to devices for initiating combustion, deflagration and detonation events.[0003]Modern initiators, such as detonators, commonly employ materials including ceramics and stainless steels in their construction. These materials are typically selected to provide the initiator with a degree of robustness that permits the initiator to withstand extreme changes in temperature and humidity, as well as to resist oxidization. While modern initiator configurations are generally satisfactory for their intended purposes, they are nonetheless susceptible to improvement.[0004]For example, many of these i...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

"The present invention provides an initiator with a plastic housing and a chip assembly for initiating a combustion, deflagration, or detonation event. The chip assembly includes an electrically-actuated chip and a pair of electric leads that extend through the housing and are adapted to couple the chip to a fireset circuit. The chip is partially encapsulated in the housing. The invention also provides an explosive device with an embedded detonator that includes a housing and an explosive pellet. The detonator is formed of a plastic material and is designed to initiate a combustion, deflagration, or detonation event in a material that is in contact with the detonator. The invention also provides a method of forming an initiator by securing an electrically-actuated chip to contacts, inserting the chip into a mold, and injecting plastic into the mold to encapsulate the chip. The technical effects of the invention include improved reliability, durability, and safety in the use of initiators and explosive devices."

Problems solved by technology

While modern initiator configurations are generally satisfactory for their intended purposes, they are nonetheless susceptible to improvement.

For example, many of these initiators, particularly those that employ exploding foil initiators, are relatively difficult and labor-intensive to fabricate.

Consequently, they are relatively expensive and are not employed in many applications due to considerations for cost.

Consequently, configurations employing multiple conventionally-configured detonator-type initiators do not provide maximum efficiency as the densities of the materials that are used in their construction are significantly different than that of the secondary explosive that is typically employed in a main explosive charge so that significant perturbations in the wave front are generated as the wave front passes through the detonator-type initiator and into (or back into) the main explosive charge.

Images